Examples of the fanciful architectural elements possible in cob construction. Below left is an example of a decorative, sculptural element over a hearth. A glimpse of honey-coloured flooring may also be seen beneath the candles.

Below right, a living room showcases a vaulted, natural wood ceiling and arched windows and doorways. Note that the window openings are fitted with modern, energy efficient windows. Just visible in the archway is the thickness of the interior and exterior walls (typically 18 inches or more), allowing for plenty of insulation, fine lintels and deep window sills.

Possible locations will be chosen based on their inherent spiritual qualities, local tolerance for diversity, and availability of natural resources. As this sampling of images makes plain, there are endless possibilities for decorative sculptural elements when building in this medium. While these elements would require some artistic skill, the architectural elements are attainable by anyone willing to roll up their sleeves and put in the time and effort to gather the materials and make the clay "loaves" (or cobs). It is easy to see the pride one would feel about the results!

The Evidence for Avalon in America

The idea that ancient Europeans could have arrived in the New World as long as 13 to twenty thousand years ago has long been the target for derision by academics and the public. Recently, new discoveries have begun to force a change in attitudes, but long before that we knew that the ancient peoples wandered often and far. Our lore told us, and it was verified by the evidence of our own eyes. After closely examining the images below, not only will the obvious become evident to you, but it will also become plain that these sites are quite different from those of typical Amerindian peoples.

Finding settlements, similar though they might be, would not be enough in itself to found an argument upon; however, it is not only similar settlements we find here. Even for an expert, it would be difficult to identify the locations of these monuments were the images not labelled. the main difference, currently, is that the monuments in the isles are well cared for, whereas their American counterparts are not. As these images plainly attest, dolmen, ringstones, mound graves with banks and ditches, cairns, and Ogham script are all to be found in both lands using the same styles and designs; however, in America their presence is explained as being the result of glaciation, whereas in Europe and the Ises they are attributed to human beings. Since these types of monuments are not common to the Far East, and since the American monuments were already ancient when the latest European colonists arrived, the implications of these artefacts are clear to anyone with eyes to see them.

Dolman, Upton MA, (c) NEARA

Irish Ogham, Pluias na Scriob, (c) NEARA

Brown's Hill, Carlowe, Ireland, (c) Shee-Ire

Druid Hill, MA, (c) NEARA

Druid Circle, Wales, (c) Celynog

Plan of Upton Chamber, Upton, MA, (c) NEARA

Bryn Celli Ddu

Cairn O'Get, Caitness, Scotland

Corbelled ceiling, Ireland

Corbelled ceiling, CT

Plan of the Serpent Mound, OH

Plan of Avebury, UK

Dingess, W VA, (c) NEARA

Ogham stone, NC

Pictish Ogham, Scotland

Petroglyphs, W VA

Petroglyphs, Mona, (c) NEARA

Petroglyphs, W VA

Petroglyphs, Mona, (c) NEARA

Are we really to believe that the same monuments were crafted by human societies in one part of the world and by Nature in another? That Glaciers carved spirals and Ogham into the rocks of Appalachia and copied exactly the banks and ditches of the Old World, depositing stones around them in coincidental rings? Yet this is what we have been asked to believe up until recently, when pre-Clovis arrow heads and spear points were unearthed in Virginia matching only two known cultures worldwide: the Soloutrean and Magdelenian cultures, whose people would one day be called Iberian Celts.

If science accepts the finds in the Isles and Europe as authentic (and it does), then how can it continue to refute the finds in America? Why cling to images of North America as a barren wasteland whose history commences when European explorers from Christian lands discover and "tame" it? Even before the spear points were discovered, this theory was ridiculous. North Amerca is just as "mysterious" and "magical" as any place in the Old World. Likely, people from every continent visited every other continent in their wanderings. There is a reason that most native peoples have stories about their ancestors coming from lands other than those they now occupy: ancient peoples did not "own" the land; they belonged to it. The Celtic languages had no word for "owning"; they did not say "he owns this land", they said "land is with him". When control of the land changed hands, the people living there went with it. The ancestors were the original global citizens, and they remained so until the first farm rooted them to one place long enough to evolve a sense of ownership. The pictures speak for themselves. Our European ancestors were here -- right along with all the other ancestor peoples. It's time we stopped denying them and fighting over who's ancestors were here "first", and got down to the business of figuring out how best to honour reality in all its subtleness and complexity.

Approaching Sacred Sites

As with any sacred sanctuary or temple, there is a proper way to approach and work with ancestral sacred sites. Few people are aware of this fact; we prefer to imagine that whatever we decide to do will be embraced by the Spirits of Place, but it is entirely possible to offend said Spirits and having offended them one is unlikely ever to access a site's true character or power. It is best to cultivate a state of mind that is expectant without imposing expectations. In other words, expect something wonderful to happen without deciding in advance what or how it will manifest. Sites were created and designed with indwelling guardians and it is important to show these guardians proper respect and obtain their permission for any work to be done. The object is to work in harmony with the site; this means avoiding actions that are likely to be disruptive. Since sites were designed with entrances and exits it is worth spending some time (re)discovering them, since where and how we enter and leave affects the flow of energies. They were also designed to serve specific purposes. The purposes are no more interchangeable than are the site's indwelling energies, so again, make time to (re)discover them. Also, try to avoid the common trap of assuming that whatever you come up with "must be right". A vast body of folklore surrounds all of these sites. Make use of it to help you verify the reliability of your own findings.

In addition, there are nearly always local people around who know how a site was used and worked with in the past. Don't be afraid to ask them about whatever they are willing to share. They may not know how old the lore is that they are sharing. That's fine. It is still grist for your mill and with a little research you can probably make a fair guess at how far back the roots of their knoweldge go. Even if it is only a couple hundred years, it's still several centuries older than what you knew when you arrived and tracing it backwards through time might help you pick up even older threads. Compare what you discover with the teachings here and you will soon be able to see the points in common and points of divergence, where other cultures and beliefs systems have intruded into native belief and practices.

Finally, don't be afraid to spend all your time at one site. It is better to know one site well than to know a hundred superficially. To know a site means knowing how and when it was constructed, what the landscape looked like a the time, the major and minor standstill points on the horizon, solstive and equinox sunrise and sunset positions on the horizon, how the site looks and feels in different season and under different weather conditions, etc. These are not frivolous details, but essential pieces of information without which you cannot hope to understand the nature of the site and the forces acting upon it. Forget "channelling" the information from some "ascended master". Trust your own powers of observation, your own experiences, your own intuition, and compare them with those of people whom you trust. Don't be afraid to question your own conclusions and stay open to adapt as new information comes to light -- or even to abandon your first conclusions, if the facts seem to contradict them. Do this, and your conclusion will be as trustworthy as any "experts".

Sacred sites are more to us than mere objects of study. They are hallowed, ancestral ground. They are whole and complete in ways no modern developments can ever be and through them we hold a key to rediscovering ourselves as whole and complete people. If we do not understand the science of the ancestors we cannot hope to found an authentic Avalonian settlement, for the same science must inform our efforts. Having once manifested the site, we must know how to work with it and maintain it. This process demands a coming back into harmony with Nature and a renewal of our bond with the Sovereign Ladies of the Realms; in undertaking it we also fulfil many other vows and bring healing to some of the deepest soul debts.